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26 February 2006

Arctic Sunrise leaves for Brazil

by Andrew, onboard the Esperanza

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©Greenpeace/ADavies
Repairs all complete, provisions on board, fresh crew eager to leave - the Arctic Sunrise cast off from where it was docked behind us and headed out to sea. It is a rare thing when two Greenpeace ships are docked next to each other. It's a big world and the demands of work usually keep our ships on the go in separate parts of it. For us, it was great having the Sunrise crew around, but at the same time we know how desperately they are needed in the Amazon. Recently we have seen a huge victory there, but if the forest is to be saved we need to keep the momentum going. From the Greenpeace International website:
The decree by President Lula of Brazil to create the 6.4 million hectare (around 16 million acres) conservation area is a great victory for the people of the Amazon battling landgrabbers, cattle ranchers and loggers. The decree calls for around 1.6 million hectares to be permanently protected and totally off limits to logging and deforestation.

Another 2.8 million hectares will be used for sustainable logging concessions to prevent deforestation and ensure well-managed forests. Development guidelines will be improved in an additional 2 million hectares of forest.

Whilst the 6.4 million hectares is a victory for many communities in the Amazon, it still represents less than two percent of the total Brazilian Amazon. An area one-third the size of the new conservation area is lost every year in the Amazon to logging, soy plantations and cattle ranchers.


So with lots of shouts and waves, away they went. We wish them success and safe travels.

   

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Comments

You still onboard Andrew? Sitting up there in that lonely campaign office? Well thanks for being ace, and god speed on your return home.

Best wishes,

John

Posted by: John Morris at February 28, 2006 12:39 PM

Hi John - I've replaced Andrew in the lonely campaign office - he's gone off for a break!

Posted by: Dave Esperanza Webbie at February 28, 2006 4:59 PM

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